Blues face critical test from visiting Sharks

Hockey Betting Lines

03/12/2009 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victories against the San Jose Sharks have been hard to come by lately for the St. Louis Blues. However, a win over San Jose tonight would give a big boost to St. Louis' playoff chances. The Blues continue their crucial homestand this evening against the Sharks at Scottrade Center.

St. Louis is currently 11th in the Western Conference with 68 points, but is only three points behind Nashville and Edmonton, which are tied for the last two playoff spots in the West. Both Dallas and Minnesota are ahead of the Blues with 70 points each.

St. Louis did its part by defeating the Stars, 5-2, on Tuesday and will end its current four-game homestand on Sunday with a visit from the Wild. First, though, the Blues must take on San Jose tonight and then Detroit on Saturday.

The Sharks and Red Wings are currently tied for the most points in the NHL with 96 each, although San Jose has played two fewer games than the Red Wings. Eastern Conference-leading Boston has 95 points and all three teams play tonight.

David Perron scored twice in Tuesday's win over the Stars, while Keith Tkachuk notched his 20th goal of the season. It marks the 15th time that the 520- career goal scorer has reached that mark. David Backes also lit the lamp for St. Louis, giving him four goals and two assists over his last three games.

Chris Mason made 20 saves in the win, which improved St. Louis to 17-12-5 at home this year. Mason will try to get over the hump tonight versus the Sharks, as he is 0-6-1 with a 3.42 goals against average lifetime against the club.

He allowed five goals in his lone start against San Jose this year, a 5-4 loss in California on December 13. That setback was St. Louis' seventh in a row to the Sharks before it posted a 3-2 shootout win at home on December 27.

The Blues have still lost 11 of their last 13 to the Sharks, and their late December win also snapped a seven-game series home losing streak. St. Louis has not notched back-to-back wins over San Jose since November 13 and December 18, 2003.

The Sharks wrap a three-game road trip tonight. They lost the opener of the swing in Vancouver last Saturday before Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win in Minnesota. Christian Ehrhoff scored 3:34 into overtime to give his club two points despite blowing a three-goal lead.

Joe Thornton lit the lamp twice, while newcomer Travis Moen registered a short-handed goal and an assist for the Sharks, who snapped a season-high four-game losing streak.

San Jose goaltender Brian Boucher made his sixth straight start in place of Evgeni Nabokov, who did not travel with the team due to a lower-body injury. Boucher made 25 saves in his first victory since February 26.

Defenseman Rob Blake is also out for San Jose tonight after suffering a foot injury versus the Canucks. He has nine goals and 30 assists this season.

San Jose's win was just its fourth in its last 11 road games and the club is 17-9-6 as the guest this season.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.